Should the Bucs be concerned about run defense?

The Chiefs rushed for 152 yards against the Bucs in last week’s preseason game, hardly an accurate forecast of what will transpire in the regular season but certainly not a welcome sight for Tampa Bay’s coaches.

For some context, consider that the Bucs ranked dead last in the NFL in 2009 in rushing yards, allowing 158.2 per game.

So, should this cause concern?

“It was a lot of yards, but we didn’t really game plan for them too much,” safety Sean Jones said. “We just wanted to go out there and be physical. But it’s not an excuse. This week, we want to go out there and be physical players and get everybody swarming to the ball. That will bring down that yardage total.”

When asked about the Chiefs’ success on the ground, coach Raheem Morris said he would be more concerned if many of the yards had come against his starting defense.

He has a valid point.

The Bucs gave up just 55 rushing yards in the first half, after which all members of the starting defense were on the bench. The final drive of the first half, in fact, was played by a mixture of defensive starters and reserves.

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